We all must plan for the future, and we think the recent move by the University of Houston System Board Of Regents makes sense.

The regents voted unanimously to change the Sugar Land campus status from a center to a campus and set the main University of Houston campus over it.

We think the university system should provide for the future needs of UH students, and that would come in the form of more offerings.

The new offerings are based on community investments in Fort Bend County and include a master of science in human resource development, a master of science in project management, doctorate in education in professional help and a post baccalaureate certificate in speech pathology assistant.

These offerings will be under the auspices of the University of Houston, and we understand the UH System has said it is not taking anything from the University of Houston-Victoria or the University of Houston-Clear Lake, which also have course offerings at the Sugar Land campus. And those offerings won't change.

Victoria's Roger Welder, who is a regent, agreed that the move was to meet the demand for courses and academic plans from students wanting more of what UH provides.

"...We're thrilled to be able to meet that demand," Welder said.

UH associate vice president for university outreach Marshall Schott said the move will give UHV even more visibility and student traffic at the Sugar Land campus. And no fiscal change is expected from the move, that is a loss of revenue or enrollment reporting.

The next legislative session would include the transition as an item on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's agenda. The move should be approved.

Crossroads residents' interest remains in keeping UHV focused on growing as a four-year institution. What happens in Sugar Land is best decided in Houston.

We think as UH grows, so will UHV.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.